MACHINEFABRIEK – SECRET PHOTOGRAPHS (CD by Important Records) *
BANABILA & MACHINEFABRIEK (CD by Machinefabriek) *
PSEUDO CODE – WITH HELPFUL HANDS (CD by Plinkity Plonk) *
TONIKOM – FOUND AND LOST (CD by Hymen)
TERMINAL11 – SELF EXORCISM (CD by Hymen)
SONIC AREA – MUSIC FR GHOSTS (CD by Ant-Zen)
LINGOUF – TERRE DE PIERRES (CD by Ant-Zen)
HITOSHI KOJO – HIGH TIDE MIRROR (CD by Shining Day) *
I COMPANI – GARBO AND OTHER GODDESSES OF CINEMA (2CD by IC Disc)
NICO HUIJBREGTS – DIALOGUE DREAMS (2CD by Vindu)
THE LUZERN-CHICAGO CONNECTION – LIVE AT JAZZFESTIVAL WILLISAU (CD by Veto)
FORTNER ANDERSON – ANNUNCIATIONS (3CD/book by Les Blocs Errants)
THE MACHINE STARTED TO FLOW INTO A VEIN (CD compilation by Moontrix)
JARL – MINUS ONE/NEUTRAL (CD by Moontrix) *
TUTNER SCHIMANA – DOPE BEAT ROSENGARTEN (CD by Chmafu Nocords) *
KATHARINA KLEMENT – JALOUSIE (CD by Chmafu Nocords) *
LEPENIK – MOGLICHE UNAUSWEICHLICHKEIT (CD by Chmafu Nocords)
REPETITION/DISTRACT – SALLES DES PERDUS (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
ANTHONE – ALOOF (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
STEVEN PORTER – LR (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
CMP2P – COLLECTED WORKS VOL.1 (CDR by SP Records)
LI JIANHONG – 1969 (CDR by Buh Records)
CHORDS OF TRUTH – REFLECTIONS OF REALITY (2CDR, private)
PETALS – WHERE TEXTUS BECAME TEXTUS, AND HOW I OPERATED WITHIN (CDR by Wggfdtb) *
WOUND – MY BLACK DAYS ARE VERY BUSY (DVD-R by Foredoom Productions)
VA AA LR – RB 1/PLAY ON REPEAT (3×3″CDR, private) *
MACHINEFABRIEK – SECRET PHOTOGRAPHS (CD by Important Records)
BANABILA & MACHINEFABRIEK (CD by Machinefabriek)
Last week I reviewed new music by Merzbow and Francisco Lopez and made some remarks about people who produce a lot of releases. Another name that famously produces a lot of work is Machinefabriek, though not as active as many years as Merzbow and Lopez, certainly releasing lots of albums all the time. Here are two new releases. The first one is by Machinefabriek alone and it deals with the soundtrack to a film by Mike Hoolboom about photographs made by Alvin Kapris, a bank robber who was arrested in 1936 and stayed in Alcatraz until 1969. In the last years of his life, when in Spain, he made photographs without ever showing them around. Rutger Zuydervelt, the fabriek that produces all this music, plays three long pieces here, Part one to three, of which the first and last are subtitled black and white, and the longer piece in the middle, color. Now, much of what people say about those ‘over producing’ musicians is that a lot of it sounds the same. To like that, or to hate that: that is a point of view. It very much depends on what you are after in music. Do you want a lot of music to be similar or are you interested in your favorite musician side stepping, taking risks, exploring new routes? Usually those musicians are never that ‘popular’, simply because they never build up an audience, as their audience never knows what to expect. Not that it’s easy to be ‘popular’ when you always create the same/similar works – but here’s where quality leaps in, and usually a ‘classic’ album, which, for some, was Machinefabriek’s ‘Marijn’ album (not for me actually). Once established, life becomes easier to release a lot of music, on a lot of labels. Everybody wants you. On the new CD here, the two ‘black and white’ pieces are along Machinefabriek’s more recent (of the last few years) drone/sine wave like music, and it sounds good but I know this already. The ‘color’ piece in between however is an interesting variation on that theme, with the guitar in a more strumming mode, playing more spacious, more open, wider, almost like a blues record, like Americana, like a desert; maybe like some older Oren Ambarchi record. That’s a good thing, I like that, whereas the other two pieces perhaps left me, for now (?), a bit indifferent: I know this already. Maybe I belong to those who seek something new?
The more interesting I think, certainly for the more casually interested, is Zuydervelt’s work with Michel Banabila. Back in Vital Weekly 837 I already wrote about Banabila, and how I thought his work was about something else; i.e. not jazz, world music like, but way more experimental and electronic than I would expect. Both Zuydervelt and Banabila live in Rotterdam, so it’s hardly a surprise that the two of them would meet up and work together. They started in September 2012 with the idea to take time and kick it off next year, but as soon as they started they got into lots of interesting results, so that now, early December 2012 there is already the first release. Forty minutes in total, with nine pieces, from a handful of seconds to nine minutes. A fine album, I think. It combines the interests of both, the drone like material of Machinefabriek and experimental electronics of Banabila, while both of them keep a keen ear on the ground to make it also musically interesting. A vibrant album I should think in which a lot happens. Digital noise sits along nicely with more subdued music, and sometimes within one piece. It seems as if Banabila also knows how to keep Zuydervelt on track in trying something new, with improvised bits on the guitar such as in “Flares”. I like the fact that this is more noisy record than I would expect from Zuydervelt, with a whole lot of new ideas harvested here. Now, here’s a recommendation: if you are not keen on getting everything Machinefabriek does, you may well put ‘Secret Photographs’ aside, but the Banabila/Machinefabriek is sure must have, if you want to explore other sides to the vast output of Machinefabriek. (FdW)
Address: http://www.importantrecords.com
Address: http://www.machinefabriek.nu
PSEUDO CODE – WITH HELPFUL HANDS (CD by Plinkity Plonk)
Plinkity Plonk is a label from Nijmegen and it’s run by Frans de Waard and he is well-known. He proudly released old and unreleased work of Pseudo Code. In the 80s this was a Belgian trio, consisting of Alain Neffe, Guy Hinant and Xavier S, all active in the cassette subculture. The album “With Helpful Hands” consists of four pieces, which are actually best described as four improvisations where the band members were supported by fellow musicians, as Stefan Barbery (Digital Dance Instead Of), Daniel Malempré (Human Flesh and subject), Renaud Janson (Storm In A Nutshell), Nadine Bal (Bene Gesserit)) and Ed and Ignit of Kasteren (Van Kaye + Ignit). The beauty of the album is that the sound color of the instruments, such as rhythm box, synthesizers, guitar effects and way of singing, bring you immediately back into the 80s. The first two improvisations have a clear head and tail. The first song has a similar feel as the third song, which constitutes the heart of the CD. Continuing guitar riffs backed with an organ provide a hypnotic atmosphere. The second track “Report to Authorities” is for me highlight of the CD. An imminent issue that all the ingredients of the musicians come together. Structure by repetition, atmosphere and build minimal and effective use of the instruments. “Antipasti Over Here” is an improvisation of 34 minutes and has a psychedelic atmosphere that refers to former Pink Floyd psychedelia or Throbbing Gristle live performances, especially by the main voice of Xavier S. and repetitive drum machine music complemented by repeating patterns from sphere to sphere. A beautiful dreamy song which take you to echoes of the universe. The last song “Let’s Get It” is impetuous character with a frantic rhythm box and restless played synthesizers, which over time have the necessary structure in shape. The song takes in relation to the other songs short, but in a short moment I will make it’s musical statement. The power of this improvisation is that the base of rhythm box and a repeating bass line provides the structure on which the musicians improvise freely and also the necessary musical jokes and vicious now briefly discuss. “With Helpful Hands” is a beautiful CD of historic moments from the prolific Belgian underground. Very worth it to rediscover.(JKH)
Address: http://www.kormplastics.nl
TONIKOM – FOUND AND LOST (CD by Hymen)
TERMINAL11 – SELF EXORCISM (CD by Hymen)
There is some kind of paradox hidden behind present album released on German label Hymen Records. The title of the album “Lost and found” is taken from the artist’s sudden loss of creativity and her able to find the creativity again. That the U.S. female composer Rachel Maloney alias Tonikom should have lost her sense of creativity is very hard to hear as you listen to this, her first album after the creative crisis. Otherwise this break has had a great impact on her since the music on the album “Lost and found” represents a high standard primarily within the style of idm. This is music with lots of emotion and atmosphere. It is deep electronics that mixes expressions of beauty with expressions of rawness. Awesome album from Tonikom. Next album could be the soundtrack to some art-house thriller. On the album titled “Self exorcism”, Terminal11 makes an interesting alternative approach to the dubstep-scene. Ultra-complex breakbeats circulates in-between cool downbeat rhythm textures and atmospheric passages of synth-lines. There is a tense atmosphere upon the entire album adding a great on-going upfront-energy. The complex rhythm-textures reminds of a dubstep-version of Autechre circa “Chiastic slide”-period). A truly interesting album from Terminal11, that despite its complex character has the potential to make an interesting impact on the club scene. (NM)
Address: http://www.hymen-records.com
SONIC AREA – MUSIC FR GHOSTS (CD by Ant-Zen)
LINGOUF – TERRE DE PIERRES (CD by Ant-Zen)
Behind the name Sonic Area you find the French sound artist Arnaud Coeffic aka Arco Trauma, who apart from being the brain behind present project also is the co-founder of the French Audiotrauma collective. Having more than 100 performances in his back pack, the composer has collaborated with a wide pallet of experimentalists from deathsters in Morbid Angel to electronic artists such as Twinkle and Ambassador 21. Present album titled “Music For ghosts” is an interesting combination of many stylish expressions. From electronic synths almost reminiscent of Jean Michel Jarre or Vangelis with pompous synth layers combined with ghastly sounds that could be taken from an Ed Wood feature to more technoid and harsh spheres far away from the mainstream electronic approaches. In some passages the technoid upbeat expressions are combined with classical intersections reminiscent of film composers such as Bernard Hermann and his soundtrack to “Psycho”. Very interesting! Next album released from the Ant-Zen camp is from another French artist Vincent Ingouf operating under the project name Lingouf. Lingouf had its debut album released in 2005 and since then a large number of album has seen the light of the day, Present album titled “Terre de pierres” being the fifth on Ant-Zen Recordings. As was the case with earlier albums, it is quite some task to pigeonhole the style of the composer. The album is a mixture of analog electronics, electro-acoustic expressions and field recordings. Expressively the music is built on various levels of rhythm textures from complex breakbeat to downtempo with elements of dub moving along sound spheres that sometimes reminds of the soundtrack to some bizarre seventies art-house flick. (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com
HITOSHI KOJO – HIGH TIDE MIRROR (CD by Shining Day)
Active as Plexia, Plexus, Spiracle and member of Bloxus, Juupala Kaapio, Libellula, Revenant and Turquoise (to lift off some info from discogs), but mostly reviewed here under his own name, Hitoshi Kojo with a new album here, of sets recorded in Vevey (Switzerland) and Lyon (France), edited later on in Brussels, where he lives these days. I must admit I never studied his website before, but now I did and learned he’s into music, composition, installation, performance, painting, sculpture, video and photo ‘and those mixtures’ of which ‘the extensive activities are based on his animistic sensitivity that all the matters and the spaces have their own memories. Touching the objects, Talking to animals and plants, Resonating with atmosphere in the space. Such daily activities since the childhood are the basis of his works.’ His work is best described as drone like I should think and this new release is a fine example of that. Its hard to say however what he uses to create his drones, but my best guess would be that it is some sort of mixture of acoustic instruments and electronics, perhaps with the use of objects of an electro-acoustic nature. Something like that. It sounds pretty good, altogether. The six lengthy pieces here display a fine sensitive character, without falling too much in the trap of ‘easy’ drone music – the ‘cigar wave form’ as someone once called it. Kojo mixes together his sources in an elegant way, with ringing and singing overtones, bowing cymbals, strings and god knows what else. A delicate yet not always necessarily quiet release – powerful drones yet smooth when necessary. Excellent stuff. (FdW)
Address: http://www.shiningday.pl/
I COMPANI – GARBO AND OTHER GODDESSES OF CINEMA (2CD by IC Disc)
A 2CD set reflecting a recent project by I Compani. A project that is dedicated to the divas of film: Greta Garbo, Maria Schneider, Brigitte Bardot. Everything is composed and arranged by leader Bo de Graaf in his very filmic, narrative style. And performed by Jeroen Doomernik (trumpet), Hans Sparla (trombone), Jacqueline Hamelink (cello), Michel Mulder (bandoneon), Arjen Gorter (contrabas), Simin Tander (voice) Rob Verdurmen (drums) and Bo van de Graaf himself (saxes). The recordings come from different live sets during 2012. Their kaleidoscopic music is full of humor and playing with references to other music like in ‘Bardot’. These works are very accessible. Played with verve and the music really sparkles. Just very well done for what is meant to be. Very entertaining music that does not raise many questions. But tries to revive the cinema of these ‘goddesses’. An inspired and witty play with well-known idiom. The second CD ‘Tango and Impro’ is a live recording of a concert in memory of Maria Schneider in Nijmegen 2011. A suite of 10 pieces, call it tango-jazz. Some of them composed by Bo de Graaf, others are interpretations of music from the film ‘Last Tango in Paris’, composed by Gato Barbieri. Again inspired on film, but showing another face every now and then. More adventurous playing and improvising. ’Brand’ has fine vocal work by Tander, and works gradually towards a climax in a hypnotizing way. ‘Francis Bacon’ is the most far out piece, with impressive vocal work by Tander. I Compani started in 1985 with an instant successful program dedicated to Nino Rota. I don’t know the catalogue I Compani built from that moment very well, but this is for sure a remarkable release. Special mentioning deserves the cover. It is the most ingenious paper folded cover I ever saw. (DM)
Address: http://www.icompani.nl
NICO HUIJBREGTS – DIALOGUE DREAMS (2CD by Vindu)
24 duo improvisations distributed for some reason over two CDs. It was possible to compile these 67 minutes on one cd also. But that’s not relevant. This is a new project by Nico Huijbregts an improvisor and composer, a writer and a painter based in Nijmegen, Holland. He is relatively unknown in the improv scene, maybe because he directs his talents into very different media and arts. For ‘Dialogue Dreams’ Huijbregts invited several upcoming musicians for a musical meeting in duo-format. In all pieces we have Nico Huijbregts on piano. His playing reminds me of insects who make rapid and concentrated movements in one second, and freeze in another, and to accelerate after a short pause. He is accompanied by Simin Tander (voice), Jasper Stadhouders (electric guitar), Bram Stadhouders (acoustic guitar), Mete Erker (tenorsax), Dion Nijland (bas) and Laia Genc (piano). What made Huijbregts these musicians and not others, I don’t know. What his guests have in common is that they are of a younger generation then Huijbregts himself. The recordings took place at Galloway Recording Studio in Nijmegen in march 2011. Of course these improvisations differ a lot in several aspects: atmosphere, shape, mood, intensity, style, etc. Lyrical pieces with sax player Erker. Intimate improvisations with singer Tander. Rough, noisy guitar sounds come from the electric guitar by Stadhouders. Personality and musicianship of the members make the chemistry in each meeting a different one. Different – overall inventive – conversations develop, all well restricted in time. (DM)
Address: http://www.nicohuijbregts.nl
THE LUZERN-CHICAGO CONNECTION – LIVE AT JAZZFESTIVAL WILLISAU (CD by Veto)
Another chapter in the ongoing exchange between Chicago and Luzern. And again an exciting meeting between musicians from these two cities. This time a set recorded at the Willisau Festival in Switzerland in 2010. A sextet of three Swiss musicians – Isa Wiss (vocals), Marc Unternährer (tuba) and Hans-Peter Pfammatter (piano) – and three US musicians – Jep Bishop (trombone), Jason Roebke (bass), Frank Rosaly (drums). The playing of Pfammatter was the biggest surprise for me. A virtuoso player, with a fine sense for humor, doing crazy and imaginative things. He studied piano in Luzern under Simon Nabatov. Hope to hear more from this creative soul who also studied composition and has a love for electronics. The interplay and communication between these musicians is excellent, leading to music that is absolutely enjoyable and exciting. Very rich improvisations, filled with ideas and full of details, based on compositional input by most members. Excellent work! (DM)
Address: http://www.veto-records.ch
FORTNER ANDERSON – ANNUNCIATIONS (3CD/book by Les Blocs Errants)
If you add up the timing of all nine pieces, you may wonder why it is on three CDs and not two? Perhaps because we have three pieces on each CD? Music by poet Fortner Anderson has been reviewed before (Vital Weekly 521, 560, 812), and about the last one I noted that I perhaps rather read the book and hear some music along, and maybe Anderson took notice of that, and he mailed nine of his poetry pieces to nine composers/musicians with the request to put music to it, or simply use the voice, such as Christian Calon does, who uses a simple process to manipulate the voice but it’s still audible and understandable, which can not be said of Christian Kesten, who only uses the sounds before and after the words, and glues them together. But most of them don’t do much with the voice and use it as is, but build around it a soundscape. Alessandro Bosetti for instance does a nice piece along the lines of Gregory Whitehead, which include singing and guitars, or the orchestral work of John Berndt. Much of the music add drama to the spoken word and make it, and I know this is all highly subjective, into music by itself, rather than poetry and a bit of music. Now, this is something I like obviously very much. This is more like a fine radio play material, I should think. There is enough variation in here to make a fascinating release, although I keep thinking: why not all together on two CDs, in stead of three? (FdW)
Address: http://www.fortneranderson.com
THE MACHINE STARTED TO FLOW INTO A VEIN (CD compilation by Moontrix)
JARL – MINUS ONE/NEUTRAL (CD by Moontrix)
From a good night out, last month in Lithuania and a souvenir to all of us who didn’t make it to the night in question. Two acts from Lithuania, Dimeth Trip and Skledos and Nurse With Wound and Andrew Liles, but then also included on the CD the special Nurse guests Colin Potter and The Hafler Trio. The latter on this compilation is perhaps the biggest surprise, as there hasn’t been any ‘commercially’ available recordings by The Hafler Trio available in some time. It’s a spoken word by McKenzie. The Nurse With Wound seems, based on the sound, to be a live outtake, and perhaps not the best as such. Andrew Liles has a nice piece of ambient like proportions, based around sampled percussion and violin like sounds. Colin Potter’s solo piece is a bit too unfocussed for my taste, and seems to be cobbled together too easily. I might be wrong, as always. The pieces by the two Lithuanian bands are actually among the better here, both based on ambient/drone/field recordings notions. Dimeth Trip keeps things short and to the point, while Skeldos takes up ten minutes to tell us about the uneasy life in an abandoned factory – it’s drone like but noise based, ambient industrial at its finest – not it’s most original. Reports tell me the evening in question was very nice, and I’m sure it was – you can’t base your judgment on a compilation, can you?
It’s been a while since I last reviewed music by (Eric) Jarl, 2004-2005, I think (check Vital Weekly 401 and 470) and I have no idea what he has been up to in the meantime. Of the two previous releases it was ‘Parallel/Collapsing’ which I thought stood out, with it’s one piece (in seven parts) of guitar and electronics, a web of slow unfolding sounds, quite loud and visceral drone music. The other one ‘Akatisi/Somnolens’ was alright in producing music with electronic and acoustic sounds but it didn’t sound as good as the other, nor did it stand out from many other releases in this field. On this new release we find again a combination of electronic and acoustic sources and unfortunately its more along the lines of ‘Akatisi/Somnolens’ than of ‘Parallel/Collapsing’. Quite dark again, with the ringing, industrial sound of a fair amount of reverb units running on end and atmospheric enough to be called ‘ambient industrial’. As said, I have no idea what he has been up to in the years between, but so far his music stabilized, and didn’t show any progress. Not a sin of course, but a fine but average album from 2005 shouldn’t be followed by more of the same in 2012. (FdW)
Address: http://www.moontrix.com
TUTNER SCHIMANA – DOPE BEAT ROSENGARTEN (CD by Chmafu Nocords)
KATHARINA KLEMENT – JALOUSIE (CD by Chmafu Nocords)
LEPENIK – MOGLICHE UNAUSWEICHLICHKEIT (CD by Chmafu Nocords)
Three quite different releases on the Austrian Chmafu Nocords label. First we have Tutner Schimana, which is a duo of Elisabeth Schimana and Gernot Tutner. They met in 2009 when they both performed, separately, in Graz as Digital Rose Garden (Schimana) and Heavy Dope Beats (Tutner), on a night of ‘abstract experimental sounds and danceable electronic beats’. They continued to work and this album was recorded earlier this year and it’s said to be ‘one track in four parts with three transitions’ – seven tracks in total. Perhaps I wasn’t paying attention that much, maybe due to the high entertainment factor of the music, so I am not sure I was listening to something that was alike one track and not more? While I am no DJ either, I can’t say wether this is the kind of music that would well on the dance floor. Perhaps it would, but somehow I am not convinced about it. It seems a bit slow to me and a bit too experimental at times, in all those background sounds that are woven beneath, above and behind the beats. As said, maybe I got lost in the entertainment value of this, as I was thoroughly enjoying the crisp beats on this release, tapping feet along with this pleasant ride. It’s a pity that’s friday afternoon and saturday night, I was thinking. An excellent release, if hardly surprising in its musical content. There is lots of entertaining, great, techno with an experimental twist to it.
Something entirely different is the release by Katharina Klement, who is a composer of the modern serious modern music, it’s on that crossroad where one sign says ‘composition’, one says ‘improvisation’, ‘electronic’ and ‘acoustic’. The six pieces here are from the period 2008-2012 and are for ‘piano and electronics’, ‘bass clarinet, accordion, electronics’, ‘cello solo’, ‘recorders, (bass) clarinet, electronics’, ‘piano and two tactile transducers (bass shakers)’ and ‘saxophone quartet’. The first piece is a great one, with a whole bunch of clustered piano sounds and electronics, making an excellent piece of near stasis in music. That is not repeated, unfortunately, in the other five pieces here. Here we have something that reminds me much more serious modern classical music which sounds like improvised music – nervous, hectic playing, but on a decent, civilized level. Music that appears on labels such Carrier Records, and which seriousness is perhaps not always my kind of tea. Instinctually you realize this is some fine music, but perhaps I am not the right kind of person for it. It’s music that always remains a bit too distant for my liking.
Music by (Robert) Lepenik has been reviewed before here, either solo, or with his duo Laleloo and Krst. Here he has a double CDR of which most tracks on the first CDR were previously released online by Bruit, and the second CDR (with just a single track) is a new piece. At the very heart of the music we find piano and sine waves, but both of these are treated in some kind of computer way. Sometimes it leans towards the piano sound, sometimes more to the sine wave side of things, and sometimes Lepenik creates small rhythms out of the sound material, and everything has gone abstract. It makes the first disc with its fourteen pieces quite an enjoyable release. The second disc, with it’s one piece that lasts nearly eighty minutes offers less variation. Maybe all the sound parts of the first disc were thrown into this one and hustled up some more and deep fried into an ultra sonorous ambient sine wave piece. Piano seems to be not present here at all, and this is a piece of music to be played at a low volume I think, or perhaps: try playing it simultaneously with the other disc and set volumes accordingly. Nice package altogether of fine ambient music, microsound and more serious electronic music. (FdW)
Address: http://nocords.net
REPETITION/DISTRACT – SALLES DES PERDUS (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
ANTHONE – ALOOF (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
STEVEN PORTER – LR (12″ by Weevil Neighbourhood)
Three obscure looking records from the Weevil Neighbourhood label. We already discussed the cassette by Repetition/Distraction Vital weekly 772, and now there is this 12″, with six untitled cuts, in an edition of 100 copies on clear vinyl and silkscreened plastic cover. Behind this project we find Felix Hoeck, who again displays his love of rather obscure found sound and likewise obscure field recordings, of which the press text says ‘some severely treated and processed, other left unedited as they were recorded’ and it’s all about places where people wait or move about, places of transition and and waiting rooms. When I visited the dentist yesterday, I noticed there was no sound going, as he only plays classical music in surgery, and sounds from outside leaked in. All three persons in the waiting room we quiet, yet never really quiet enough. The flipping of a page of a magazine – Donald Duck in my case – coughing or sighing about the length of the wait. It’s something you can easily detect in this music too. That notion of seemingly ‘nothing’ but at the same time there is always something ‘there’, that’s the mood that Hoeck captured quite nicely on this record. There is a curious musical edge to all of this, which made it even nicer, as well as more mysterious.
Of a different nature is the record by Athone, with it’s extended use of rhythm already something entirely something else. Here we have not too fast drum machines, sound effects, digital synth and the whole thing reminding me of ø, but perhaps a bit more inspired by the world of dub than ø ever was and perhaps less persistent in it presence, although it has a great bass to it. The title cut is more IDM like, I think – still not the expert on dance music. It’s a fine record, but perhaps not entirely my cup of tea.
Finally we have one Steven Porter, of whom I never heard. He has three untitled pieces here, of which the first one is all about digital drone distortion that comes like a violent cascading wave. It’s quite loud and menacing despite the occasional drop down in sound. An odd piece. In total contrast, the second piece, still on side A, sees Porter going for an ultra minimal beat, with some minimal synth backing. With the rhythm you could think Pan Sonic/Goem, but you’re not likely to find that kind of sweetened synth in their music. A curious mixture of a minimal beat back drop and cheesy synth. Another oddity. The third and final piece we find on the other side, and this is where the minimal rhythm meets up with a more Pan Sonic/Goem like synth playing – sturdy, loud and a bit noisy. That’s how we like them best. Twice odd, once really good.
As a packet of three releases, I thought they were all great. Excellent odd packaging, weird, crude underground music and definitely the children of Sahko. (FdW)
Address: http://www.weevilneighbourhood.com
CMP2P – COLLECTED WORKS VOL.1 (CDR by SP Records)
Re reading my notes is CMP2P Hlo, Patrick Shaun-Robert Doyle ? I think so – an eclectic mix of sounds – rhythm machines, is it dance or dub or whatever, I confess up to owning a Yamaha DJX II so could probably work this out – or look even more foolish and put out a release of Techno, Trance Traxx Gangsta – whateva- across 23 tracks of traffic jams and feedback, railway yards and ‘stuff’, meanders swerves collides in nonsense, both looped, acoustic electric, arcade games and static, star wars and samples etc.. Apt very apt. This should be used as the theme tune for all national anthems. (Jliat)
Address: http://www.sprecordings.com/
LI JIANHONG – 1969 (CDR by Buh Records)
Li Jianhong on guitar- very chaotic slowly refining itself through swathes of echo and reverb reminiscent of Fripp marginally but more so of the Vangelis’ Blade Runner theme music… the guitar sounding so dated , the slide echo of Floyd and The Orb… so not as much a ” explore las posibilidades de saturación y expansión de la guitarra eléctrica,” as a revisiting of a now well explored hippy trippy territory. Perhaps this accounts for the title, track 2 with its greater use of Wah and Echo takes us firmly into Hendrix country. There is then a problem, though the likes of Fripp and Gilmour were significant innovators and explorers of the landscape of guitar and effects created back in the late 60s, the continent was discovered by Hendrix, and all such work leads inevitably back to those days of Free Love, Lysergic acid diethylamide and the wah wah echo of the great Hendrix, where Li Jianhong at times verges on some improvisation – is it Hey Joe or All Along the Watchtower… sadly these days like the master have long gone, if ever there was a brief Camelot- it is no longer. I suppose given the ‘current situation’ – and more than the financial or ecological ones I refer to the inheritance of Abdul Qadeer Khan… maybe a trip back to 1969 is in part an answer as nothing else seems possible. Other than the impossible. But we are no longer “paranoid” – but in the 21st century the vogue is schizophrenia. So we can all be Hendrix- and dead too. (Jliat)
Address: http://buhrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
CHORDS OF TRUTH – REFLECTIONS OF REALITY (2CDR, private)
Since I hate to repeat myself on such short notice, I re-run what I wrote two weeks ago about the nature of remix CDs: “Just today I had, via e-mail, an interesting discussion about remixes, as good friend mailed me about some re-issue of an 80s band which come with a bunch of ‘great’ remixes, whereas I know him as someone who in general thinks that remixes hardly ever surpass the original. I argued, and actually voiced this opinion in these pages too, that remixes are usually an attempt to get a certain album or artist across to an entirely different audience, hoping that the audience will be tempted to seek out work by the other. So The Orb remixes Mike Oldfield, Orb lovers get out and buy everything by Oldfield based on this great remix and Oldfield fans do the same. That’s the ideal marketing technique ‘out there’, in the ‘real world’ (which I doubt actually still works these days). Now in our cosy, niche world of underground music, remixes are usually mere masturbation – ‘since we love to work with sound, any sound, we might as well work with your album’, and most of the times its a case of who knows who.” Here we have a double CDR of remixes of the work of Jason Garriotte, a ‘folk singer/songwriter’ who released ‘Reflections Of Reality’ as an EP in 2011, and since then has found other producers to do remixes – 57 in total, but only 26 made it to this double pack – maybe the others can be downloaded somewhere. I didn’t hear the original EP, which I am told is all acoustic, but I didn’t hear. Now this is a very good example of how remixes should work, even when perhaps it’s not entirely my kind of music. It seems to me all pretty straight forward kind of dance music, a bit of house, a bit of techno, a bit of dubstep, electropop and folktrance, spookstep, acidfolk to quote some more subgenres from the cover. All of these pieces have the voice of Garriotte and that’s the element, I guess, which ties all of these remixes together. Like said, not entirely my cup of tea, but while drinking coffee, reading the morning paper and starring outside (my favorite things in the morning), this was certainly a most entertaining start of the day. (FdW)
Address: http://www.chordsoftruth.com
PETALS – WHERE TEXTUS BECAME TEXTUS, AND HOW I OPERATED WITHIN (CDR by Wggfdtb)
When Itunes opened this CDR so I could rip a bit for the Vital podcast, it says it lasts 40:04 and it’s ‘Second Hand News’ by Fleetwood Mac. Wow, maybe that’s a great joke on behalf of Petals? Put in a fake title in that Itunes database, or perhaps it’s confused with a real Mac release with just a very long version of that (great) song (from one of my favorite albums). Petals is one Kevin Sanders who has already played an impressive discography together and is no doubt interested in the more louder aspects of drone music. His piece here seems to be recorded inside a shopping mall, on battery operated amplifiers or speakers, picking up the hollow sound of suburban shopping and maybe there has been some sort of post processing of some kind, but it might very well not be the case. Although I am not heavily enthusiastic about this piece I think it’s quite nice for what it is. A piece of heavily treated, on the spot of field recordings. Like the sounds of the environment working against the same environment, a bit like that old movie ‘Decoder’, in which muzak is transformed to be played back at the Mac (another Mac than the previously mentioned one). That wasn’t the best of movies, but it made a fine point. This is what I think about this Petals release as well: it makes a fine point, but isn’t the best of releases. (FdW)
Address: http://weregonnagetfuckingdrunktonightboys.wordpress.com/
WOUND – MY BLACK DAYS ARE VERY BUSY (DVD-R by Foredoom Productions)
VA AA LR – RB 1/PLAY ON REPEAT (3×3″CDR, private)
Foredoom Productions do not exactly spice up their releases with information, nor see that any of that makes it to the website. Clicking and clicking brings us to here: “WOUND is an experimental project by Massimo Onza aka truculentboy”. And perhaps that’s enough. There is also, DVD-R here!, moving image ‘edited by Daniel Irons’. The two pieces are granted visuals of a flickering nature, shown on rock parts and from a car. What flicker is the image on top of a man in blood, I think, I can’t flicker my eyes that well. The music seems to be all about guitars and distortion pedals playing some of the darkest, saddest music possible, grim and somber. The video part of this wasn’t something I enjoyed very much, but the music I thought was alright.
In the same envelope I found a release by VA AA LR, which consist of three 3″CDR which is the most curious item of lately. The entire length of all three together is 32 seconds, divided over the three pieces which should be played on repeat, which I did for about fifteen minutes. The irregular character of the sounds made different intervals and it worked quite well. The trio of Vasco Alves, Adam Asnan and Louie Rice, each providing a short piece here, make up a great concpetual work, which calls, neh screams to be remixed or simply be played together for a long time. A conceptual work but it sounds quite nice, which is perhaps a rarity sometimes. But as said: surely the oddest thing to get into the Vital HQ lately. Most likely to mixed in some form in our podcast! (FdW)
Address: http://foredoomproductions.blogspot.com
Address: http://www.a-r-a-r.com/vaaalr.html